Engine Assembly Order

The following assembly for Flint and Tonawanda engine plants is general in nature as small variations were usually made from year to year.

Flint	Tonawanda
Raw castings enter plant	Raw castings received from other parts of Tonawanda engine plant
Block machining (broaching) in 1 to 2 days	Block washed
Block begins upside down. Bore sizes on oil pan rail broadcast ahead to piston hook up area.	Oil galley plugs
Galley plugs	Transmission alignment pins
Camshaft	Camshaft
Main bearing caps removed, crank installed, caps reinstalled.	Main bearing caps removed, crank installed, caps reinstalled.
Flywheel & pressure plate	Flywheel & pressure plate
Cam & crankshaft gears, timing chain	Cam & crankshaft gears, timing chain
Piston installation	Piston installation
Front engine cover and seal	Front engine cover and seal
Harmonic balancer	Harmonic balancer
Oil pump shaft and oil pump	Oil pump shaft and oil pump
Windage tray bolts if applicable	Windage tray bolts if applicable
Oil pan and hardware	Oil pan and hardware
Clutch housing	TDC determined, timing pointer
Engine turned upright	Engine turned upright
TDC determined, timing pointer	Cam & lifters
Cam & lifters	Build date/suffix code stamped
Cylinder heads installed	Cylinder heads installed
Rocker arms studs, arms, & balls installed	Rocker arms & balls installed (studs already installed)
Intake manifold installed	Valves adjusted
Valves adjusted	Intake manifold installed
Valve covers installed	Water outlet & thermostat installed
Miscellaneous brackets and switches installed	Water pump installed
Build date/suffix code stamped	Spark plugs installed
Water test with vacuum gauge	Distributor installed
Oil cavity test	Miscellaneous brackets installed
Paint assembly	Exhaust manifolds
Distributor installed	Vacuum test
Coil & plug wires	Valve covers
Spark plugs	Paint assembly
Temperature switches	Hot test
Water and oil drained	Water and oil drained
Exhaust manifolds installed	Racked & readied for shipment
Spark plug wire supports, heat shields, other miscellaneous brackets installed.
Component verification
Racked & readied for shipment

Typically 396 engines were stamped on the left side (as facing the engine from the front of the car) before the heads were installed and will often be stamped under the cooling plug in the cylinder head. Small block engines were typically stamped on the right side (as facing the engine from the front of the car) of the engine pad.

Many people put faith in an original engine due to 'broach' marks on the engine pad but these marks were often either not present or very light.

Two broach cutters are shown in this photograph. The cutter on the left broaches the pan rail and the upper half of the main bearing bores. The block is flipped over, registered and clamped on the pan rail, and the one on the right broaches the deck surfaces and the top horizontal surface between the decks. Each lateral row of cutting blades in each broach is set about .001" deeper than the row ahead of it. The block is clamped solid on its pallet and the overhead broach has about a six-foot stroke longitudinally across the block surface; one pass for the pan rail and one pass for the decks and top and it's done. Fresh blades in the tool left hardly any broach marks at all; as the blades wore, the broach marks became more visible.

Engine blocks were shipped with distributor, exhaust manifolds and either a flywheel for manual transmission cars or a flex plate for automatic transmission cars. Although the photo below is from the mid-50s, the process of receiving engines, literally by the trainload, was still being used as the most economical method of shipping them. Engine assembly dates and suffix codes were already stamped on the engine pad.

Engine 'accessories' such as specific carburetor, belts/pulleys, alternators, starters, etc. were installed at the final assembly plant for the specific car. The partial VIN would be stamped when a specific engine was identified for a specific Camaro.

Custom stickers (3 sizes available) and custom calendars (various layouts) can be found at my Stickers & Calendars website.

Engine Assembly Order

Today is document.write(TODAY)

Today is